Was I predestined to have doubts about predestination?

Predestination is one of those Calvin things I’ve never fully grasped or been comfortable with (yeah, I know, that could be the point of it). In fact, when I first returned to church, I wondered if I could even become a Presbyterian if I didn’t buy into predestination. I still wonder that. 

If you’re not familiar with it, here’s a description of what Presbyterians believe about predestination (my emphasis added):

Calvin defines predestination as "God's eternal decree, by which he compacted with himself what he willed to become of each [person]. For ... eternal life is foreordained for some, eternal damnation for others." So predestination is an act of God's will through which God elects or chooses those whom God calls to faith and thus to eternal life, and through which God chooses those who will not receive faith.

There’s a Biblical basis behind Calvin’s interpretation – Romans 9-11 – but, like a lot of Paul’s writings, it’s not so simple. Paul, making a case that we are called by God’s actions and not our efforts, says things like:

So then he [God] has mercy on whomever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomever he chooses. [Romans 9:18]

For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. [Romans 11:32]

Is that a rationale for exclusion or inclusion? Is the intent to condemn or to be merciful? Does that mean we don’t have free will after all?

The church has wrestled with the concept of election and predestination since, well, at least since the time the early church realized the gospel had been opened to Gentiles as well as Jews in Acts. According to What do Presbyterians believe about predestination?, theologians like Augustine, Luther (yes, him, too) and Calvin saw predestination as an essential component of justification by grace alone (as opposed to works). Later Calvinists put more emphasis on it than Calvin himself did (so maybe it wasn’t all Calvin’s doing). 

A couple of recent posts, coming from an evangelical perspective, highlight some of the questions many people still have about the implications of predestination.

Ed Cyzewski, in Did God Do That?, asked

Once you start believing in a God who predestines the course of your life, sin becomes a really big problem. Did God want me to sin? Did God harden my heart like Pharaoh so that he could teach others about the perils of sin?

If we assume that God has already chosen who is saved and who isn’t, or that God uses the disobedience of some to show God’s mercy, are we really responsible for our sins? Or did we sin because God willed it?

Zach Hunt (Let’s Talk About Predestination) carried this further:

If God has already chosen who will go to heaven, what is the point of evangelism and/or missionary work?

He sees a conflict between predestination and Jesus’ great commission. If God has already determined who is saved and who isn’t (I’ll leave the question about what it means to be “saved” for another day), then why would Jesus tell his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations?. 

I’ll add another “problem” to the mix: I’ve heard some Christians use the doctrine of predestination to write off whole groups or races of people by saying, “They’re not part of God’s elect.” Unfortunately, some have used this as justification for dismissing concerns about justice or injustice in some parts of the world (Palestinian refugees in the Middle East, for example). I have trouble resolving that mind set with Jesus’ gospel as I understand it. 

If you have a chance, read Zach Hunt’s questions. I’ve only read some of the responses but found one by Ben Irwin to be particularly interesting (my emphasis added):

No one individual and/or group of people is ever chosen as an end unto itself. People in the Bible are chosen/predestined/elected for the benefit of others...i.e. the "outsiders." Abraham is "elected" to become a blessing to all nations on earth. Israel is "elected" to serve as priest to the nations, pointing the way to God. Even if salvation starts with the election of some, it never, ever stops there. It's just the beginning.

I have more questions than answers about predestination and I’m not sure it means what many say it means. What do you think?

Does predestination mean that, even if we have free will, we ultimately don’t? Are our sins the result of our choices or God’s will?

Does predestination mean that we shouldn’t worry about who receives the gospel and who doesn’t?

How do we explain both predestination and free will?